7 November 2013: Computerized Data Collection and the Management of Survey Costs and Quality: The Use of Paradata

James Wagner and Nicole Kirgis
University of Michigan  

Abstract:
Computer assisted interviewing has allowed far greater control over the costs and quality of survey data collection. Such data collection automatically generates paradata about the collection process itself. This can be extremely useful for survey managers to control survey efficiency and costs. Field interviewers, using laptop computers or other devices, transmit raw survey data (including paradata) to the central office daily. This allows managers to monitor production inputs (e.g. interviewer hours, travel expenses) and production efficiency (e.g. hours per interview, attempts per hour). Similarly, questionnaire timing paradata, for example, can be used to identify instances where questions are completed in an extremely short period of time. Managers can intervene at various levels when interviewers display patterns of lower than expected efficiency and quality. Pilot paradata can also be extremely useful in the design of questionnaires and field operations.

Date: November 7, 2013
Time: 05:30 P.M.

Venue:
NCAER Conference Room A
National Council of Applied Economic Research
Parisila Bhawan, 11, Indraprastha Estate
New Delhi-110002(INDIA)

Note:
Please join us for tea and snacks at 5 pm before the seminar. For queries, please contact Ms Sudesh Bala at sbala@ncaer.org or on 011-2345-2669.

Location:

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7 November 2013: Normalizing India-Pakistan Trade Relations

Zafar Mahmood
Punjab Public Service Commission, Lahore and
Rahul Khullar
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Date: November 7, 2013
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
Gulmohar Hall,
India Habitat Centre
Lodi Road,
New Delhi – 110 003(INDIA)

Location:

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24 October 2013: Systematic reviews: What have we learnt so far? An overview of evidence

Howard White
3ie

Abstract:
Systematic reviews have become a fashion in international development. What are they, and what are they good for? Dr White will present an introductory insight into why reviews are necessary, focusing on why meta-analysis is needed to synthesise study findings. The talk will look at key findings from a range of reviews on clean water, agricultural extension and conditional cash transfer. Strengths and limitations of systematic reviews and their alternatives will also be discussed.

Date: October 24, 2013
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room, Ground Floor
ISID Complex, Plot No. 4
Vasant Kunj Institutional Area
New Delhi- 110 070(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/event/8565396331
Watch the seminar live at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/internation-initiative-for-impact-evaluation

8 October 2013: Private vs. Government: New Evidence on School Performance and Implications for India’s Right to Education Act

Karthik Muralidharan
University of California, San Diego, NCAER, NBER and J-PAL  

Abstract:
Karthik will present results from the Andhra Pradesh School Choice Project—one of the most comprehensive research studies conducted on school choice and private schooling globally. Over five years the project provided lottery-based scholarships to economically-disadvantaged students to attend a private school of their choice. The project has yielded rich data on schools, teachers, households, and student performance in private and government schools. Karthik will discuss what these findings mean for the private school Clause 12 of the Right to Education Act that mandates a 25% quota in private schools for economically disadvantaged students.

Among the questions the study seeks to answer:
1) How do private and government schools systematically differ in household inputs, school facilities, teacher characteristics, teacher effort, instructional priorities, and time allocation at home and school?
2) Holding all other factors constant (including family socio-economic characteristics and pre-school and other factors that typically differ between students attending government and private schools), are private schools more or less effective than government schools?
3) How might the intake of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds into private schools under Clause 12 affect students already in these private schools? What will be the spillover effects?
4) How does the impact of attending a private school differ based on a student’s socio-economic background, school characteristics such as the medium of instruction, and market characteristics such as the number of schools and the amount of effective school choice and competition?
5) What are the implications of these findings for implementing Clause 12? How should students be allocated to fill the 25% quota? How should private schools be regulated?

Date: October 8, 2013
Time: 05:30 P.M.

Venue:
Constitution Club of India,
Rafi Marg,
New Delhi-110001(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please join us for tea at 5.30pm and thereafter for the Lecture at 6pm. For queries, please contact Sudesh Bala at sbala@ncaer.org or on 011-2345-2669

8 October 2013: Power Sector Reforms: The Journey of Improving Governance and Rural Supply

Ashish Khanna
The World Bank

Abstract:
By the late 1990s the technical and financial performance of the power sector in India had deteriorated to the point where the Government of India had to step in to bail out the state utilities, almost all of which were vertically integrated State Electricity Boards (SEBs). Considering that the dismal performance of state utilities reflected internal and external shortfalls in governance, the new Electricity Act of 2003 mandated the unbundling and corporatization of the SEBs, along with the establishment of independent regulators, as a means of bringing about a more accountable and commercial performance culture with concomitant results in terms of improving the performance of utilities. A decade later another financial restructuring plan, four times the amount of restructuring undertaken a decade back with increased ramifications on private and financial sector, was finalized and rolled out in 2013.

What has been the experience with corporatization and reform experience in states? How does the key issue of agricultural and rural supply experience fit in within the overall reform story?

Ashish Khanna, Lead Specialist and India Energy Team Leader of World Bank, would be sharing his own experience of working across ten states over last 13 years on reform related issues. The presentation (30 minutes followed by discussion) would also capture the outputs of recent work undertaken by World Bank on different approaches followed by states in managing rural supply, and broader lessons on corporatisation of state utilities and regulatory reforms at state power sector.

Date: October 8, 2013
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Location:

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24 September 2013: Urban Sanitation: Assessing Priorities and Options

Meera Mehta
CEPT University, Ahmedabad

Abstract:
Little is known about the outcome of significant government investments being made in urban water and sanitation sector in India. To address this, a Performance Assessment System (PAS) Project was initiated at CEPT University in 2009to develop a sustainable system for monitoring of performance outcomes of urban water and sanitation services. Development and implementation of a sustainable system for the past four years in 419 cities in Gujarat and Maharashtra has enabled state and local governments to track service level outcomes. This experience has shown that assessing urban sanitation requires different benchmarks than those suggested under Service Level Benchmarks (SLB) Initiative by MoUD. For example the reality of urban India is that while 80% of households have access to on-premise toilets, only 30% are connected to a sewerage system, which often lack functional treatment facility. A majority depends on on-s ite systems, but this is not included in the assessment.Thus, an outcome based framework rather than a technology based one is needed.

To address these issues, a framework for city wide sanitation assessment has been developed for the entire value chain of sanitation, including grey water, storm water as well as solid waste. To ensure sustainability, financing is also considered in assessing sanitation options. Using this framework, the PAS Project has supported development of plans for four cities in Maharashtra to assess a range of options and their implications on service levels and local finances for capital funding and operations. These plans demonstrate that desired service levels can be achieved with investments that are affordable by municipalities and suggest wider policy implications for financing of sanitation.

Date: September 24, 2013
Time: 03:45 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Note:
For further information, please contact: Marie-Hélène Zerah at marie-helene.zerah@ird.fr or Partha Mukhopadhyay at partha@cprindia.org

Location:

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23 September 2013: Launch of Urbanization beyond Municipal Boundaries- Nurturing Metropolitan Economies and Connecting Peri-Urban Areas in India Report

Presenters:
Tara Vishwanath, Lead Economist
World Bank
and
Somik Lall, Lead Economist
World Bank

Chair:
Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India

Discussants:
Dr. Partha Mukhopadhyay, Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Studies, New Delhi                
Ms. Ireena Vittal, Co-author of the McKinsey Report on India's Urban Awakening: Building inclusive cities, Sustaining economic growth

Abstract:
The report informs policy priorities to manage India’s urbanization. Incisive analysis of the patterns of India’s urbanization derived from geo-referencing and linking various rounds of the population and economic census highlights rapid suburbanization of people and firms around the country’s largest metropolitan areas. Three areas of policy reform are put forward. First, to accommodate urban expansion, India needs to make changes to its urban planning “License Raj”. Urban planning systems across the country limit urban expansion, redevelopment, modernization and the re-purposing of older inefficient areas. Investing in India’s institutional and informational foundations can enable land and housing markets to function efficiently while deregulating land use in urban areas. To achieve this, planning for land use and planning for infrastructure must be coordinated so that densification of metropolitan areas can be accompanied by infrastructure improvements. Second, expanding and delivering better infrastructure services to improve livability. Policy makers need to institute reforms that would help providers recover costs yet reach out to poorer neighborhoods and peripheral areas. Third, strengthening physical connectivity between metropolitan hubs and their peripheries to develop areas that attract the majority of people and businesses over the medium term. Investments in network infrastructure alongside logistics improvements can facilitate the smoother movement of goods. Land policy, infrastructure services, and connectivity—coordinated improvements in this triad can help India reap dividends from improved spatial equity and greater economic efficiency that come with urbanization.

Date: September 23, 2013
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Room No. HT-1-300,
Ground Floor, Hindustan Times Building,
Kasturba Gandhi Marg,
New Delhi - 110001(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please confirm your participation to Lorraine Ghosh at lghosh@worldbank.org